An old man walked slowly toward the gate, breath rasping, his cane striking the ground in steady rhythm, koink, koink, koink.
The terrain was jagged, scarred by the battle between Nox, Soren, and Rios, leader of the Ten Thousand.
An aroma thick with Iora pulled him closer, a heartbeat faint and fading. His wrinkled eyelids barely opened, but he followed the dim glow of Iora that pulsed like a dying ember.
He stumbled to a gruesome sight. A young man, Portos, the first victim of the king's cruel judgment. Half his face was pulp, golden hair matted with blood. His abdomen torn open, organs spilling out, yet clinging desperately to life.
The floor was painted with the blood of young men who had died from the King's merciless slaughter.
The old man dropped his cane with a clatter. His hand trembled as he reached for the youth's cheek. A dark light erupted, piercing the night.
The old man collapsed, lifeless.
Portos's body convulsed violently, flesh knitting, bones realigning, his face regaining shape. His ruined stomach sealed shut. For a moment, all was still. Then he opened his eyes.
A manic laugh broke the silence. "Hahaha! Hahaha!" With youthful vigor he tore off his battered golden armor, standing naked under the crimson stained capital walls. "Ahhh, to be young again."
Five shadows approached.
Shuri tilted her head, placing her hand on her slender waist, her voice soft but wary. "Portos? Is that you? I thought you were dead."
Portos turned, flashing a grin too sharp, too mischievous to be called human.
Serus, the King, stepped forward. His tone was grave. "This may wear the face of Portos, but something else lies beneath."
Shuri, Gelly, Ulon, and Fabien felt their spines tighten, cold sweat running down their necks. The evil they felt from Serus doubled, no, tripled, by the presence of this new Portos.
Soren jolted awake. A fire burned warmly. A child laughed. A man hummed.
Next to him, Nox slept soundly, his chest rising and falling, scars carved across his body like cruel maps, scars that ran from hands to shoulders, chest to back.
Soren's heart stuttered. His soul left him. For a moment, he was nothing but a husk.
Then a soft warm hand slipped into his palm.
He blinked, staring down at a little girl no older than six. She smiled up at him, innocent and bright, her hand radiating warmth deeper than any fire.
"You look so sad," she said gently.
He couldn't speak. Tears slipped free. The girl wiped them away, her small hand trembling but kind. The simple gesture cracked him open, filling his chest with warmth he thought lost forever.
A man emerged from the stream with a cask of water. Relief lit his face. "Ahhh, you're awake."
The girl shifted, placing her palm on Nox's forehead. "So hot," she whispered, worried.
"That's the fire," the man reassured. "He'll wake soon, look, he's snoring."
The man was tall, dressed plainly in grey and blue like a farmer. Reddish brown hair, long lashes, a sharp face softened by endless smiles. His daughter mirrored him, her gown was blue,her hair was darker but, same eyes, same glow.
"We found you two passed out by sunset," the man explained as he ladled stew into bowls. "I'm Solar, this is my daughter, Lara. We're wheat farmers from Blitz, south west of here. We went to the capital to sell harvest, but we left early. Crowds unsettle her."
"That was… probably for the best," Soren muttered.
Nox's stomach roared like a dragon. He sat bolt upright, startling everyone, then earning a chorus of laughter. Soren, Solar, and Lara laughed until their sides hurt.
Nox frowned, haunted, Confused, but when his eyes fell on Soren, smiling despite everything, he remembered Juro. He remembered being pulled back into laughter when all seemed lost. So he joined in.
Questions circled around the fire. Lara's curiosity sparkled like embers.
"How did you pass out?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Soren fumbled for an excuse. "Well, you see, my brother had this stupid idea to carry me on his shoulders while running—"
Nox's glare could have killed.
"—and of course, he passed out midway. His own stupidity caught up with him."
Nox cut in before Solar could press further. "He's got motion sickness. I ran faster than a carriage, he almost puked, in the end, he fainted like a weakling." He waved his hands in mock drama.
Lara burst out laughing. The sound was infectious. Everyone joined in, even Soren through gritted teeth.
Solar, smiling quietly, could see the sadness in their eyes. He could tell they were lying, but he refused to press further.
Later, as Solar handed Nox another plate, their hands touched. For a split second, Nox felt it, Solar's Iora, dense, steady, kind. No malice, no cause for concern, but just to be on the safe side, Nox decided he wouldn't sleep tonight.
He sighed quietly. He had met with everything Raizen told him to avoid on his way, and he still had not even met Ren.
He chewed the stew slowly. The meat gleamed red in the firelight.
And suddenly, the gate. The dismembered bodies. The blood.
His stomach twisted. His chest burned. Disgust. Anger. Grief. All knotted into one unbearable weight. He forced the meat down, swallowing the pain whole.
Morning came.
The four journeyed together for hours, laughter and small talk carrying them forward. Lara clung to Soren and Nox as though they'd always been her brothers.
But at the fork in the road, parting became inevitable.
Tears welled in Lara's eyes. She tugged on her father's coat, whispering something. Solar nodded and turned to the brothers. "She asks if you'll kneel."
Confused, they obeyed. Lara walked between them, placed a kiss on each cheek, and whispered, "Hope I'll see you again, big brothers."
Then she ran off down her path, bashful and bright.
"Lara, wait for me!" Solar called, bowing low to Nox and Soren before hurrying after her.
The boys stayed frozen.
Soren bit back tears. Nox could not. His eyes burned.
That moment, that tiny girl, gave them something no blade or crown could, another reason to fight. Another fire in their hearts.
But the road to Eden was long, and Ren, the one Raizen had told Nox to meet at the great fig tree, still awaited.
They did not know where each step would take them, but they kept moving anyway.